diarrhée
/dja.ʁe/feminine
The French word for diarrhea, the medical condition, is diarrhée. There is also a slang word, foire. If unsure, use diarrhée.
Meaning: medical condition (noun)
Ways to say it
| French | IPA | Note |
|---|---|---|
| diarrhée | /dja.ʁe/ | feminine |
| foire | /fwaʁ/ | feminine |
diarrhée is the normal word you use with a doctor or a pharmacist, and in everyday speech when you need to describe the condition plainly.
Which one should you use?
diarrhée is the standard neutral word. des selles liquides, meaning liquid stools, is a formal and clinical description. Être dérangé du ventre, literally to have a disturbed stomach, is a softer informal way to hint at it. Avoir la chiasse is colloquial and vulgar.
How does it change in a sentence?
diarrhée is a feminine noun. When you say that someone has the condition, it takes the partitive article de la, as in J’ai de la diarrhée.
How do you pronounce it?
diarrhée is pronounced /dja.ʁe/, in two syllables.
What mistakes should you avoid?
Do not use the vulgar word with a doctor or in polite company. diarrhée is always the safe choice.
Did you know?
- The word foire descends from the Latin fēriae, meaning 'feast days', which explains how it evolved into a word for a 'fair' and eventually a term for digestive chaos.
- While diarrhée is the standard term, French speakers often use the phrase avoir un problème de transit to be extremely discreet in professional environments.
- In French, the phrase avoir la chiasse is considered extremely vulgar and is much more aggressive in tone than the English 'to have the runs'.
Examples in context
- J’ai de la diarrhée.I have diarrhea.J’ai de la diarrhée is the simple way to tell someone you have diarrhea.Tatoeba #10707959 by AutoBot, translation #25352 by jejda
- Avez-vous de la diarrhée ?Do you have diarrhea?Avez-vous de la diarrhée ? is the polite question a doctor or pharmacist might ask.Tatoeba #2426695 by nimfeo, translation #1671646 by NurseMeeks
- Voici un médicament contre la diarrhée.Here's some medicine for diarrhea.contre la diarrhée means for diarrhea when talking about medicine.Tatoeba #457190 by sacredceltic, translation #25350 by darinmex
- J'ai de la diarrhéeI have diarrhea
- 10 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Léa is checking on Hugo, who feels unwell.
- HugoJe ne me sens pas bien, j'ai une forte diarrhée.I don't feel well, I have bad diarrhea.
- LéaEst-ce que tu as aussi de la fièvre, Hugo ?Do you also have a fever, Hugo?
- HugoNon, c'est seulement cette diarrhée qui me fatigue.No, it's only this diarrhea that is tiring me out.
- LéaRepose-toi bien, mon grand.Rest well, dear.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “diarrhea” translations and entries diarrhée, foire, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries diarrhée, foire, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
